MEDITATION FOR ATHLETES

MEDITATION FOR ATHLETES

A method to reduce stress and achieve full physical and mental potential. The rigors of modern day sport are placing pressures on athletes at unprecedented levels. Professionalism has led to more demanding training programs, more games, greater pressure to perform at elite levels for longer periods of time and demanding travel schedules. All of these pressures expose athletes to greater levels of stress and fatigue on both the mind and the body; these inevitably lead to depleted performances and exposure to greater risk of injury.

REST IS THE PRECURSOR TO DYNAMIC ACTIVITY

The skill of resting the mind and body in a systematic way has been largely forgotten. Rest is the state that provides both the body and the mind with the opportunity to perform much needed repairs and maintenance and prepare for the demands placed on them during activity. In the case of elite athletes these demands are significantly amplified causing excess wear and tear. This increases the necessity for high-grade rest to ensure complete and rapid recovery.

Meditation is an art form that has not been associated with increased physical performance in modern times, however it is well documented that the warriors and sportsmen and women of ancient cultures utilised meditation as a way of enhancing their ability to perform at elite physical levels by harnessing the potential of the mind and body to achieve success while remaining calm and composed.

Through the practice of a very simple, natural, effortless mental technique the body and mind are able to access states of rest that are up to five times deeper than sleep. Having gained this profound level of rest, the mind and body are more prepared to operate in a dynamic fashion, bringing efficiency and accuracy to performance. Athletes using this technique have experienced enhanced reaction times, reduction in respiration and heart rates and a fall in the production of plasma lactates.

Rest repairs the body and refreshes the mind by removing stress and fatigue allowing the body to operate more efficiently thus expending less energy for greater output and giving athletes the competitive edge. Athletes practicing the technique report more rapid and regular access to “the zone”.

MEDITATION

Tim Brown is one of Sydney's foremost meditation teachers. Based in Paddington, Tim has spent over 16 years teaching meditation as a life tool to all kinds of people - corporates, creatives, mums, dads, kids, inmates, elite athletes... you name it, he's taught them!